THE IMPACT OF INFLUENCE

“Now Ezra had determined in his heart to study the law of the Lord, obey [it], and teach [its] statutes and ordinances in Israel.” (Ezra 7:10 HCSB)

“Leadership is influence—nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.” I have heard leadership guru, John Maxwell, say that numerous times. It is true to the Word of God.

Pastors and deacons are, according to the New Testament, the spiritual leaders in the church. We have influence, and that influence makes an impact. Hopefully, it is for good, it may be for bad, but leadership does make a difference.

Our text brings us face to face with an exemplary leader named Ezra. He is a shining model of a spiritual man. He was able to influence a pagan king (see Ezra 7:1,6). The Jews had been in exile seventy years. During that time, the Persians conquered their Babylonian captors. In that era, Ezra persuaded one of the Persian rulers, Artaxerxes, to permit him to lead a group of exiles back to Palestine. That’s the impact of influence.

Ezra’s influence on the Jews is observed in the remainder of the book, as he leads them to experience revival. He was a man of much ability and many achievements.

How did he accomplish so much? God’s gracious hand was upon him (7:6,9)!

That leads us to ask a followup question. Why did God’s hand rest upon this man? I believe Ezra 7:10 is the pivotal verse in this book, “Now Ezra had determined in his heart to study the law of the Lord, obey [it], and teach [its] statutes and ordinances in Israel.” He had influence in the world because the Word had influence on him.

We learn in this book how one man made a difference in the lives of God’s people. Let me give you a quick overview of the book and share some practical insight concerning the impact of influence.

The first half of the book displays the leadership needed for THE REBUILDING OF THE SANCTUARY (Chapters 1-6)

“In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, the word of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah was fulfilled. The Lord put it into the mind of King Cyrus to issue a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and [to put it] in writing: This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build Him a house at Jerusalem in Judah. Whoever is among His people, may his God be with him, and may he go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the house of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem.” (Ezra 1:1-3)

God was leading and the people needed to link up with what God was doing. Leaders are that link that help guide the people in God’s will.

Leaders communicate the potential (Chapters 1-3)

“So the family leaders of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites-everyone God had motivated-prepared to go up and rebuild the Lord's house in Jerusalem. All their neighbors supported them with silver articles, gold, goods, livestock, and valuables, in addition to all that was given as a freewill offering.” (Ezra 1:5-6)

Although Ezra is the central figure of the book that bears his name, he is by no means the only leader found in its pages. Here we read of others who made an impact.

For seven deacades, Jerusalem had been a desolate wasteland. God’s people had been carried into captivity, serving pagans in a heathen environment. The beautiful temple had been destroyed. Nothing short of a miracle could bring them back to Jerusalem and enable them to rebuild. You may feel that desperate about the situation you are in, but, remember that with God all things are possible!

The igniting of a spark of faith came through a group of godly leaders. They challenged the people to see the potential of what could be done, if they would just trust in the promises of God. That’s what leaders do. Their influence inspires by painting a picture of potential progress.

Leaders who have such an impact believe in the power of God and the potential of the people of God. They offer words of encouragement that infuse the people with a vision of what can be.

They will need to continue to call people to courage for there will certainly come the need to confront the problems (Chapter 4).

“When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple for Yahweh, the God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the leaders of the families and said to them, ‘Let us build with you, for we also worship your God and have been sacrificing to Him since the time King Esar-haddon of Assyria brought us here.’ But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other leaders of Israel's families answered them, ‘You may have no part with us in building a house for our God, since we alone must build [it] for Yahweh, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us.’ Then the people who were already in the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build.

They also bribed officials [to act] against them to frustrate their plans throughout the reign of King Cyrus of Persia and until the reign of King Darius of Persia....

At the beginning of the reign of Ahasuerus, the people who were already in the land wrote an accusation against the residents of Judah and Jerusalem....

Now the construction of God's house in Jerusalem had stopped and remained at a standstill until the second year of the reign of King Darius of Persia. (Ezra 4:1-6, 24)

If you think that spiritual leadership means smooth sailing, then you’re delusional. The progress of God’s Kingdom is always a struggle. The devil will fight the church for every inch of ground. Don’t be caught off guard. The enemy will use threats and intimidation, as we see here. So, what is a leader to do?

The leader must call for persistence (Chapters 5-6).

“So the Jewish elders continued successfully with the building under the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished the building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and King Artaxerxes of Persia.” (Ezra 6:14)

The preachers persevered in presenting the Word and the elders persisted in performing the work. There were setbacks and struggles, but there would be no surrender to the enemy.

During the pivotal Battle of the Bulge, when Hitler launched his last gasp offensive against the Allies just before Christmas, 1944, the American 101st Airborne Division, occupying the town of Bastogne, found themselves completely surrounded by German forces. Brigadier General Anthony C. McAuliffe had been ordered to hold the town at all costs. The Germans demanded that the Americans surrender. It was then that McAuliffe gave his now famous, defiant response in one word: “Nuts!” They held the town against the odds—soldiers inspired by their leader.

That’s the kind of attitude, we need to face our foes! We can make progress even in these difficult days in which we live.

The impact of influence is also seen in the second half of Ezra’s book in THE REVIVING OF THE SAINTS (Chapters 7-10). God does a great spiritual work among His people.

Leaders know that revival is rooted in God’s power (Chapters 7-8)

“I proclaimed a fast by the Ahava River, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us, our children, and all our possessions. [I did this] because I was ashamed to ask the king for infantry and cavalry to protect us from enemies during the journey, since we had told him, ‘The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek Him, but His great anger is against all who abandon Him.’

So we fasted and pleaded with our God about this, and He granted our request.” (Ezra 8:21-23)

Ezra didn’t depend on the flesh for a solution—which we are often so quick to do—but he leaned on the power of God. What we are facing is too large for human solutions. Revival will not come without Divine aid. Yet, God has called us to seek that intervention through intercession. We see the leaders summoning the people to join them in prayer and fasting.

The early church was energized by the Spirit and preeminent among them were leaders—pastors and deacons who were Spirit-filled men. Pentecost was birthed in a ten-day prayer meeting. The church moved forward on its knees. The leaders were praying men who knew how to get hold of God, for God had taken hold of them!

That experience requires godly purity (Chapters 9-10)

“While Ezra prayed and confessed, weeping and falling facedown before the house of God, an extremely large assembly of Israelite men, women, and children gathered around him. The people also wept bitterly. Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, an Elamite, responded to Ezra: ‘We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the surrounding peoples, but there is still hope for Israel in spite of this. Let us therefore make a covenant before our God to send away all the [foreign] wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the command of our God. Let it be done according to the law.

Get up, for this matter is your responsibility, and we support you. Be strong and take action!’” (Ezra 10:1-4)

Sin short-circuits the power of God. It is death to revival. We must be clean vessels—holy men of God, if the Holy One is to use us. The Lord can use a crude instrument, but He will only use a clean one.

When you read the Biblical qualifications for church leadership, there is little said about competence (although incompetence is never commendable). Most of the Biblical requirements for the pastor and deacon are character issues.

So, how can we have an influence that makes an impact for God? Look at what made Ezra tick.

There was a PASSIONATE APPREHENSION OF TRUTH. “Now Ezra had determined in his heart to study the law of the Lord...” (7:10a).

If you apprehend the truth, it is because the truth has apprehended you! Apprehension certainly involves comprehension, but more—it means captivation! The church’s leaders must be people who are captivated by the Word of God.

How can we lead the church in the ways of God, if we don’t know the Word of God and are submitted to it? How can we be guardians of true belief and godly behavior, if we aren’t saturated with the Word? Our convictions are formed by being captivated by the truth.

Furthermore, there is to be the PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF TRUTH. Ezra has also determined to “obey it...” (7:10b)

It isn’t enough to believe the Word, our behavior must be governed by it. How can a leader guide someone to a place where they are not willing to travel themselves? My influence makes an impact when there is integrity!

I not only know the way, I go the way, and then I show the way, so there is the PUBLIC ATTESTATION OF TRUTH. Ezra would “teach” the Word of God. Scripture was powerfully and publicly attested to by Ezra.

As apple trees generate more apple trees, and salmon spawn more salmon, so we spiritually reproduce after our kind.

Spiritual leaders should reproduce more spiritual leaders. This is what Paul taught Timothy, “And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Tim.2:2)

We see this with Ezra. “So I took courage because I was strengthened by Yahweh my God, and I gathered Israelite leaders to return with me.” (7:28b)

Walter Lippman said, “The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind in other men the conviction and will to carry on.” The spiritual health and vitality of a church depends on the spiritual health and vitality of the church’s leaders.

My father was diagonsed several years ago with myasthenia gravis. It makes him weak and unsteady. This auto-immune disorder short-circuits the connecting points between the nerves and the muscles, so that even though a nerve transmits from the brain a message, the muscle may not get it because of a breakdown in that connection.

This can happen spiritually. The Message from the Head—Jesus Christ—won’t move the Body—the church—if the neural paths—church leaders—fail to transmit the message.

We must study the Word, submit to the Word and share the Word. This will enable us to have the impact of influence.